It will be illegal to sell branded cigarettes from next month after the Supreme Court refused permission to a group from the tobacco industry, including Bristol's Imperial Tobacco, to appeal over standardised packaging legislation.

This is the final domestic decision meaning standardised packaging of cigarettes will come into force on May 20, the Department of Health said.

The UK introduced standardised packaging of tobacco - drab dark brown packs with no graphic branding - in May 2016, and branded packs have been phased out throughout the year.

In November last year, a number of companies - including Imperial Tobacco working alongside rivals British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International - challenged the legality of the standardised packaging regulations.

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They argued the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 would destroy valuable property rights and render products indistinguishable from each other. Imperial Tobacco employs more than 600 people in Bristol.

Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies said: "Smoking is the biggest preventable killer in this country and this legislation will save lives so I am thrilled that the tobacco industry will not be allowed to appeal.

"After years of hard work, I look forward to seeing this policy now brought in, and smoking numbers fall even further."

"This is the latest in a long line of crushing legal defeats for the tobacco industry.

"Over the years the industry has squandered many millions of pounds of its own money in futile legal challenges, but worse still it has wasted public time and money, which could have been much better spent improving public health."

A spokesman for Imperial Brands said: "We maintain our firmly held view that plain packaging is not an effective tobacco control policy. Instead, it plays into the hands of counterfeiters and smugglers who seek to profit from the trade in illicit tobacco.

"At this time, we would like to reiterate our commitment to building a stronger business through a clear focus on our strategic priorities. As part of this, we’re stepping up investment in our growth and specialist brands and in new consumer experiences, such as e-vapour, through our non-tobacco business Fontem Ventures.

"We’re also focused on maintaining our market-leading level of support for our retail customers through, and beyond, the transition to plain packaging legislation and the revised EU Tobacco Product Directive when it comes into force across the UK."